Heating system for multiple-room vehicles



v 1949- w. B. DEAN .ET AL 2,483,995

HEATING ISYSTEM FOR-"MULTIPLEROOMVEHICLES 7 Filed March 17. 1945 '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 7 4 I I I r I I 1 I I 5 a 'IIIIII IIIIIA INVENTORS WalZerB. Dean Lewis E Reynolds A TTORNE Oct; 4, 1949. w. B. DEAN ET AL HEATING SYSTEM FOR MULTIPLE-ROOM VEHICLES Filed March 17. 1945 2 Shets-Sheet 2 FLI 7 .Ill Illlll ,IL

' INVENTORS WaZterBDean Lewis Reynolds W fl w ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 4, 1949 HEATING SYSTEM FOR MULTIPLE-ROOM VEEHCLES Walter B. Dean, Narberth, and Lewis F. Reynolds, Philadelphia, Pa., assignors to The Budd Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application March 17, 1945, Serial No. 583,263

9 Claims.

This invention relates to a heating system, particularly to a heating system for heating the individual rooms of a multiple-room railway car or other vehicle.

As is well known, it is common practice to provide a railway car or other transportation vehicle with a plurality of individual rooms for single or multiple'occupancy. The present invention is directed to individual unit floor heaters for the rooms of vehicles of this character and has for one of its objects the provision of a new and novel heating system wherein the temperature of each room can be controlled independently of the temperatures of the other rooms.

Another object is to provide a vehicle room heating arrangement wherein certain of the walls of each room are arranged to provide an air circulating duct within which a heating unit is positioned.

Another object is to provide such a room heating arrangement wherein a forced-air circulating duct extends along the floor of the vehicle in association with certain walls of the room and is provided with an air outlet which opens into the room adjacent the floor and an air inlet from the room which is remotely located from but at a level above the air outlet, and, further, wherein the water pipes for the toilet facilities may be located in the duct and in which, in the absence of forced circulation, the air in the room may circulate by thermo-syphon action back through the duct and about such water pipes.

A further object is to provide a floor heating unit of the foregoing character with an improved control means of such nature that operation of the heating unit is responsive to predetermined temperature relations between the temperature of the air at the duct inlet and the temperature of the air at the duct outlet.

With the above and other objects in view which will be apparent from the following description to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, the present invention consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, and then claimed.

In the drawings which illustrate the present invention in one of its preferred forms,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary diagrammatic plan view of a multiple room railway car;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary transverse vertical section through one of the rooms, taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevation'taken away to show in the direction of lines 3-3 of Figure 2, a portion of the side wall of the room being broken the air circulating duct arrangement; f V

Figure 4 is a section taken approximately on line i -4 of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the control means for the heating unit.

' Referring to the accompanying drawings in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, the present invention is directed to a system and arrangement for individually heating the individual rooms I of a multiple room vehicle, such as a railway car 2.

In the particular arrangement shown for illustration, the wall 3' of the room I adjacent the car aisle 4 is of hollow construction and supports a wash basin 5 which is pivotally movable into the wall, and a toilet bowl 6. The wall 3 also supports a hot and cold water fixture 1, shown in broken outline in the drawings, which is concealed by the basin 5 when the basin is folded into the Wall.

The Water pipes 8 for the fixture 1 and the water pipe 9 for the toilet bowl 6 extend from the car floor In upwardly within the wall 3 as shown in Figures 3 and 4; V k

The door jamb end of the hollow wall 3 is provided with an air' inlet grille l l which is elevated above the floor IE1 and disposed above the grille H and extending for the length of the wall 3 between the sides thereof is a horizontal partition l2, the pipes 8 extending upwardly throughthe partition It. The wall space within which the water pipes 8 and 9 are located and which is defined by the floor it, the partition l2, and the spaced sides-and ends of the wall provides an air circulatin'g'chamber l3 which receives air from the room and from the aisle 4 through the grille l'l.

Associatedwith the end wall M which joins with the one end of side wall 3 but located in the next adjacent room is a partition member l5 in the passage or duct l6 adjacent the outlet grille l9, and supported by an apertured partition |6a which extends across the duct IB is an electric motor 2| which drives a circulating fan 22.

The fan 22 draws air from the floor region inwardly through grille I, through the chamber or duct |3 about the water pipes -8 and 9 and thence into duct l6, forces the same about the heating unit 2|! and discharges the same in heated condition into the room adjacent the floor through the grille l9. 7

It is to be understood, of course, that when the door 23 for the room is open some air from the aisle 4 of the car may be drawn by fan 22 through the grille M. It is also to be understood that fresh air may be "admitted into the car and individual rooms at any convenient locaheated air exhausting through grille 9 causes a proper temperature of the air leaving the duct system through grille l9 and the temperature of the air entering the duct system through grille tion, as is well known practice, which mixes with i the air in the room and recirculates through the ducts described.

The circulation of the air in the manner described insures the maintainence of a desired temperature at the floor region since some of the heated air travels diagonally from grille l9 across the floor before entering the inlet grille II. Another advantage or the construction described is that the passage of the recirculating heated air over the water pipes 8 and 9 maintains the duct l3, in which the pipes are located, relatively warm all the way to the floor. This is a material aid in cold weather in preventing the pipes from freezing. When the fan 22 is notfin operation, some of the heatedaiffroin the room will, by reason of the fact that the inlet grille II is disposed at a level above the outletgrille l9, thermosyphon back through grille l9 and thence through duct I6 into duct I3 and out through grille H to maintain the duct |3 substantially at the temperature of the room.

One preferable control for the heating system is diagrammatically shown in Figure 5. In this control arrangement, the steam pipe 24 for the heating unit is provided with a normally closed valve 25 which is actuated to open position by a solenoid 26, the solenoid being in parallel with the electrical leads 21:1to-the motor 2|. Arranged in one of the leads 1282 351 the solenoid 26 and motor leads 21 is a pair of contacts 29 arranged to be bridged by a switch element 30 in order to energize the circuit described.

The system is thus under the control of switch r element 30. The switch-element 30 is controlled by a differential temperature control system, which system includes a;bulb;3| located in the duct I3 at the air inlet, abulbg-32 located in the duct It at the heated air outlet, a manually adjustable bellows 33, and a bellows 34 contained within a box 35 connected to the steam conduit 24, the switch element 30 being connected to the bellows 34 for actuation by the expansion and contraction of the bellows 34.

The bulbs 3| and 32 and bellows 33 are connected by conduits 36, 31 and 38, respectively, with the bellows and this bulb, bellows and conduit arrangement contains a volatile liquid, which through the bulbs 3| and 32 is responsive to the temperature of the air entering through grille H and exhausting through grille I9, respectively. When the temperature of the air adjacent the floor is below normal, that is, below the temperature for which the system is adjusted, bellows 34 is contracted and switch element 30 bridges the contacts. In this condition, solenoid 26 is energized to open the steam valve 25 and the motor is energized to operate fan 22, whereby the air is circulated over the heating unit 20. The

I], or both, the pressure developed by the volatilization of the liquid causes the bellows 34 to expand and open the switch contacts 29 whereby the motor 2| andsolenoid 26 are deenergized and thesteam valve 25 automatically closes.

The temperature to which the control system is responsive can be varied at will by changing the pressure on the liquid by expanding or contracting the bellows 33 through rotation of the manual control lever 39 which has a shaft 40 threaded through a wall portion H of the room and engaged with thebellows 33.

The system and arrangement described provides an efficient and novel floor heating unit for the individual rooms of a railway room car by means of which. it is not only possible to maintain a substantially uniform temperature in the floor region of the car but also in which a safe guard is provided for preventing freezing of the toilet facility water pipes in cold weather. It is to be understood of course that the water pipes may belocated in the end wall instead of the side wall of the room.

It is to be understood that various changes may bemade in the detailed arrangement and construction of the parts described without departing from the spirit and substance of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l.'In a transportation vehicle having a room provided with a door opening in an aisle side Wall thereof, a closure for said opening, an air duct in said wall and having an inlet opening in the door jamb end thereof on the room side of the closure, a second air ductin an end wall of the room, said second duct being in communication with said first duct,- extending horizontally along the floor of the vehicle and having an air outlet adjacent the floor of the vehicle and near the side wallof the room opposite the door and adjacent the outside of the vehicle, a

heating unit within one of said ducts, and means for causing air from the room to flow therefrom through said inlet, thence over said heating unit and through said outlet into the room, said air inlet in said door jamb end of said wall being located at a level above said air outlet.

2. In a transportation vehicle having a room, toilet facilities within the room and water pipes for the toilet facilities; an air duct associated with certain walls of the room, said duct being adjacent the floor ofthe vehicle and enclosing a portion of the water pipes, said duct having an air inlet and an air outlet, heating means within said duct, and means for circulating air from the room through said inlet, thence through said duct, in heat exchange relation with said heating unit and through said outlet, the circulating air being in contact with said pipes adjacent said floor.

3. In a transportation vehicle having a room, toilet facilities within the room and water pipes for the toilet facilities, an air duct associated with certain walls of the room, said duct being adjacent the floor of the vehicle and enclosing a portion of the water pipes," said duct having an air inlet and an air outlet, heating meanswithin said duct, and means forcirculating air from the room through said inlet, thence through said duct, in heat exchange relation with said heating unit and through said outlet, the circulating air bein in contact with said pipes adjacent said floor, said air outlet being located adjacent said floor, and said air inlet being elevated relative to said air outlet whereby in the absence of operation of said circulating means air from the room will thermo-syphon through said outlet into said duct and thence from said duct through said inlet into the room.

4. In a transportation vehicle having an aisle and a plurality of rooms adjacent the aisle and in which each room has a door opening in its aisle-adjacent wall, a closure for said opening, individual floor heating units for each room comprising an air duct extending adjacent the floor of the vehicle and along the aisle-adjacent wall and the adjacent end wall of the room, said duct having an air inlet and an air outlet, said air inlet opening being located in the door jamb on the closing side of the closure, said outlet opening from said end wall into the room adjacent the fioor thereof, said air inlet opening from the room through said side wall into said duct being located at a level above said outlet, a heating unit within said duct adjacent said outlet, and fan means within said duct between said heating means and said inlet for drawing air into said duct through said inlet, forcing the same over said heating unit and thence into the room through said outlet.

5. In a transportation vehicle havin a room provided with a door opening, a heating system for the room comprising an air duct extending along the floor of the vehicle in association with certain walls of the room, said duct having an air outlet into the room adjacent said floor and an air inlet from the room located at a level above said outlet, a heating unit within said duct, motor-driven means within the duct for elfecting forced circulation of air through said duct in heat exchange relation with said heating means, an electrically operatable valve for said heating unit, an electrical circuit, includin a switch, for said valve and the motor of said fan means, and means for actuating said switch including a pair of inter-dependent temperatureresponsive elements, one of said elements being responsive to the temperature of heated air leaving said outlet and the other of said elements being responsive to the temperature of the air entering said inlet.

6. In a transportation .vehicle having a room provided with a door opening, a heating system for the room comprising an air duct extending along the floor of the vehicle in association with certain walls of the room, said duct having an air outlet into the room adjacent said floor and an air inlet from the room located at a level above said outlet, a heating unit within said duct, motor-driven fan means within the duct for efiecting forced circulation of air through said duct in heat exchange relation with said heating means, an electrically operatable valve for said heating unit, an electrical circuit, including a switch, for said valve and the motor of said fan means, and means for actuating said switch including a hollow expansible element connected to said switch and first and second bulbs connected with said expansible element, said element, said bulbs and the connections bei an air inlet from the room H '7. In a transportation vehicle having a room rovided with a door opening, a heating system for the room comprising an air duct extending along the floor of, the vehicle in association with certain walls of the room, said duct having an air outlet into the room adjacent said floor and an air inlet from the room located at a level above said outlet, a heating unit, within said duct,- fan means within'said duct for efi'ecting forced circulation of air through said duct in heat exchange relation with said heating means, an electric motor for said fan means, an electrically operatable normally-closed automaticallyclosable valve for said heating means, an electric circuit for said valve and motor, a normally open switch in said circuit, and temperatureresponsive means for controlling the operation of said switch, said temperature responsive means being conjointly responsive to a predetermined low temperature condition of the air at said inlet and the air at said outlet to close said switch and to a predetermined high temperature condition of said inlet and outlet temperatures to open said switch.

8. In a transportation vehicle having a room provided with a door opening, a heating system for the room comprising an air duct extending along the floor of the vehicle in association with certain walls of the room, said duct having an air outlet into the room adjacent said floor and located at a level above said outlet, a heating unit, within said duct, fan means within said duct for eflecting forced circulation of air through said duct in heat exchange relation with said heating means, an electric motor for said fan means, an electrically operatable normally-closed automatically-closable valve for said heating means, an electric circuit for said valve and motor, a normally open switch in said circuit, and temperatureresponsive means for controlling the operation of said switch, said temperature responsive means being conjointly responsive to a predetermined low temperature condition of the air at said inlet and the air at said outlet to close said switch and to a predetermined high temperature condition of said inlet and outlet temperatures to open said switch, said temperature responsive means including a temperature responsive element adjacent said inlet and a tempetrature responsive element adjacent said out- 9. In a transportation vehicle having a room provided with a door opening, a heating system for the room comprising an air duct extending along the floor of the vehicle in association with certain walls of the room, said duct having an air outlet into the room adjacent said floor and an air inlet from the room located at a level above said outlet, a heating unit, within said duct, fan means within said duct for effecting forced circulation of air through said duct in heat exchange relation with said heating means, an electric motor for said fan means, an electrically operatable normally-closed automatically-closable valve for said heating means, an

electric circuit for said valve and motor, a normally open switch in said circuit, and temperature-responsive means for controlling the operature responsive means will respond.

WALTER B. DEAN.

LEWIS F. REYNOLDS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number 8 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Laube Feb. 8, 1881 Adams Apr. 2, 1929 Mack Dec. 13, 1932 Foss Dec. 25, 1934 Hanson Jan. 7, 1936 Parks Feb. 15, 1938 Crago Nov. 1, 1938 Crago Nov. 22, 1938 Timmis May 2, 1939 Madden Nov. 28, 1939 Clements Jan. 21, 1941 Murphy Dec. 23, 1941 Brizzolara Apr. 7, 1942 Raney Nov. 9, 1943 Mueller May 16, 1944 Blue June 13, 1944 Snavely Sept. 3, 1946 

